Roxanne Gay Shares Complex Ideas

The acclaimed writer, professor, and editor, one of the greatest cultural critics of our times, talks identity and privilege at BAMPFA.

By Madeline Wells

Published: September 7, 2018

Photo by Jay Grabiec

Acclaimed writer, professor, and editor Roxane Gay is one of the greatest cultural critics of our time. If you’re looking to introduce someone to intersectional feminism, her New York Times best-selling 2014 collection of essays Bad Feminist is your weapon of choice. Gay writes stunning, nuanced nonfiction, but she’s also a talented fiction writer — look no further than Difficult Women, her 2017 collection of short stories highlighting women who push the boundaries of society’s portrayal of the “perfect woman.”

In 2016, she became one of the first black women (along with co-writer Yona Harvey) to write for Marvel with her comic series World of Wakanda, a spin-off from Black Panther. She is also the author of fiercely honest memoir Hunger, a testimony of her experience with weight, body image, and building a positive relationship with food.

Her prose is direct, but her ideas are complex — she presents smart analysis of identity and privilege in an accessible, hard-hitting manner. Book a free seat reservation for her upcoming talk at BAMPFA (part of the museum’s Arts + Design Mondays public lecture series with the theme of “Fact and Fiction”) and catch a glimmer of her brilliance.